As the San Francisco 49ers drag out contract negotiations with quarterback Brock Purdy, of course, everyone will have their opinions and that doesn’t exclude rivals on the field. Los Angeles Rams star wideout, Puka Nacua weighed in with his thoughts on the Purdy extension situation on a recent episode of Julian Edelman’s “Games with Names” podcast.
Nacua was asked for his opinion on how much Purdy’s extension should be per year and had this to say.
“I think mid-40s," Nacua responded, saying it should be closer to $45 million.
"I think he [Purdy] seems like a smart guy," Nacua added. "They have a chance to still be in their window. And I think if he goes for a 5 [$50 million-plus], then the window closes.”
Brock Purdy will want top dollar from the San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco would love it if Purdy settled for $45 million per year as opposed to upward of $55 million. Most expect the Niners to pay up and keep Purdy with the team as their franchise QB. While some think the team should strongly consider trading Purdy (Chris Simms), that doesn’t feel like the most plausible option. Trading Purdy takes you back to square one with no viable replacement.
So, like many teams before them, the Niners will need to figure out a way to keep their Pro Bowl, former Mr. Irrelevant in the fold and happy contractually, while also maintaining competitiveness across the rest of the team. This means doing it minus Deebo Samuel, who’s in Washington now and potentially without Brandon Aiyuk for part of the 2025 campaign due to a horrific knee injury.
There has also been talk of the Niners moving Aiyuk via trade, but his injury status has put that on hold for the time being. The bottom line is teams have to strike while the iron is hot with these young QBs. Meaning, that you need to win before they reach year four ideally because once that extension comes into play everything changes.
Other than last season, the 49ers have been right there in the mix the past few years and have come up short for various reasons. That window Nacua speaks of is a real thing and if the Niners aren’t careful it could slam shut sooner than expected.